Slide joint



Jan. 13, 1942. c. H. THOMAS SLIDE JOINT Filed May 27, 1940 Patented Jan. 13, 1942 UNITED STATES' PATENT OFFICE SLIDE JOINT Cyril H. Thomas, Flossmoor, Ill., assigner to Royal Electric Manufacturing Company, Chicago, Ill.,

a. corporation of Illinois Application May 27, 1940, Serial No. 337,352

Claims. `(C1. 173-324) This invention relates to slide joints for electrical conductorsandv particularly to flexible expansion connectors for permitting relative expansion and contraction of two electrically connected conductors while maintaining; a proper electrical connection betweenv them.

Slide joints of the type with which the present invention is concerned are used for connecting adjacent lengths of busbars or for connecting a bus or other conductor to a substantially stationary terminal, such' as a. terminal bushing of a condenser, a transformer, a circuit breaker, or the like.

It is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a connector adapted to be secured to the free end of a comparatively rigid conductor and which will allow free expansion and contraction of the connected conductors, which connector is of a simple, inexpensive and durable construction, and may' be readily applied in the eld.

It is a further object of'` the present inventionto provide a two piece connector comprising male and female members, one'of which is adapted, to be connected to one conductor and the other of which is adapted to be connectedto the other conductor, terminal or bushing to be joined with the rst conductor, and wherein the two connector parts have a telescoping't which permits relative movement of the two while at the same time maintaining the parts in relative alignment.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a connector of the above mentioned character wherein :one of the two connector membersA may be standardized'` for use in establishing connections betweeny a conductor and another conductor, or a terminal or bushing.

The attainment of the above and further objects of the' present invention. willY be apparent from the following specification taken in conjunction with theY accompanying" drawing forming a part thereof.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a topview of' an expansion stud connection embodying the present' invention;

Figure 2 is a side view of' the connection of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a sectional View taken along the line 3^-3 of Figure 1';`

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a side, view of a different form of stud connector; and

Figure 6 is a plan View of the connector of Figure 5.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, the connection of Figure l comprises a sleeve connector clamp member I adapted to be clamped to a bus 2, and a stud connector clamp member 3 adapted to be clamped to a conductor 4 which may be a bus or a terminal bushing oi a condenser, transformer, circuit breaker or the like. The clamp member I is a pipe-like structure having an interior bore 6 adapted to be slid over the bus 2. The member I is preferably made of material having high electrical conductivity such as, for instance, roller metal, whereby when the clamp I is secured to the bus 2 it makes good electrical connection therewith. The bore may be machined to facilitate the establishment of good electrical and mechanical connection with the bus 2. Thereafter a longitudinally extend-- ing slot 'I is milled through the wall of the connector. The connector has two' pairs of projecting lugsv 8-8 and 9-9 which have aligned bolt receiving bores each for receiving a bolt It. The head of each bolt I0 is held against rotation by a pair of very short projections il. A nut I2 threads on the opposite end oi each bolt I0 for clamping the pipe connector clamp firmly on the bus 2. If desired, the operation of machining the bore 5 may be entirely omitted, since even without machining of the bore a good mechanical and electrical connection may be established between the clamp I and the bus 2 by tightening of the bolts IG.

The pipe clamp has a number of fiat topped outwardly extending projections I5 which extend approximately half of the length of the pipe clamp and are drilled part way through and are tapped for receiving bolts I6'. These bolts clamp terminals Il at the end of flexible braided conductors I8, against the projections I5. Each terminal Il consists generally of a conducting tube into which the end of a flexible threaded conductor I8 is inserted and which is then flattened upon the conductor.

The stud connector 3 is also made of metal of high electrical conductivity and is drilled and tapped, as indicated at 20. The stud has a hollow shank 2l extending therefrom and terminating in an enlarged circular head 22. A slot 24 is milled through the stud after the threads 2Q have been formed, the slot extending the full length of the stud. The stud 3 has two pairs of lugs 25-25 and 26.-25 extending therefrom, which lugs are provided with aligned bolt receiving openings through which the Shanks of the bolts 2I extend, the heads of the bolts being held against rotation by the short projections I I. The stud is threaded on the threaded end of the conductor 4, and thereafter is clamped in place by tightening nuts 28 on the bolts 21. The stud is provided with at topped outwardly extending projections 29, similar to the projections I5, for receiving the opposite terminal 3l) at the end of each braided conductor I8. Bolts 3| extend into tapped holes in the extensions 29 for firmly clamping the terminals 30 to the extensions.

The head 22 and shank 2| of the stud connector clamp extend into the bore 6 of the pipe connector clamp I. 'I'he head 22 is free to slide in the bore B upon relative expansion of the bus 2 with repect to the terminal 4, or vice versa, the ilexible conductors I8 shunting the sliding connection.

Reference may now be had more particularly to Figures and 6 wherein there is shown a different type of stud. In this construction, as previously, the stud is provided with a shank 2| and an enlarged head 22 which cooperates with a pipe clamp such as the clamp I of Figure 1. The mounting portion of this connector clamp is provided with a bore 20', which corresponds to the bore 2U, but is at right angles to the shank 2I rather than in alignment therewith. The shank 2I therefore need not be slotted length- Wise thereof since the milled slot 24 is suicient to enable clamping of the stud connector to the threaded or unthreaded end of a bushing or other conductor. The stem 2l is an integral part of the rest of this stud connector clamp. Insofar as the connector clamp of Figures 5 and 6 lis similar to that of Figures l and 2, similar reference numerals are used, and a further description thereof is not necessary at this time.

From the above description it is apparent that the two connector clamp members of the present invention comprise simple male and female members of which one is adapted to be secured to one of the conductors that are to be joined electrically and the other is adapted to be secured to the other conductor. The two members are maintained in alignment by the engagement of the enlarged head 22 of the anale member within the bore of the female member, which head slides within the bore as the two members expand or contract relatively to one another.

In compliance with the requirements of the patent statutes I have here shown and described a few preferred embodiments of my invention. It is, however, to be understood that the inventio-n is not limited to the precise constructions here shown, the same being merely illustrative of the principles of the invention. What I consider new and desi-re to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A slide joint for maintaining comparatively rigid electric conductors in proper relative alignment while permitting relative longitudinal and angular movement of the conductors, said joint comprising slidably intertting male and female members clamped to the two conductors respectively, each of said members including means at one end for rmly securing it to a conductor and said male member including an enlarged curved head for slidably engaging the female member, and flexible conductors on the outside of the members maintaining electrical continuity between the rst mentioned conductors and shunting the sliding joint.

2. A slide joint for maintaining comparatively rigid electric conductors in proper relative alignment while permitting relative longitudinal movement of the conductors, said joint comprising slidably interiitting male and female members clamped to the two conductors respectively, each of said members including means at one end for firmly securing it to a conductor and means at an opposite end for slidably engaging the opposite member, and iiexible conductors on the outside of the members maintaining electrical continuity between the rst mentioned conductors and shunting the sliding joint, said male member comprising a mounting portion having a shank extending therefrom and provided with an enlarged curved head portion at its end, said female member having a bore in which said head slides and against which it bears.

3. A slide joint for maintaining comparatively rigid electric conductors in proper relative alignment while permitting relative movement of the conductors, said joint comprising slidably interltting rmale and female members clamped to the two conductors respectively, each of said members including means at 'one end for rmly securing it to a conductor and means at an opposite end for slidably engaging the opposite member, and exible conductors on the outside of the members maintaining electrical continuity between the rst mentioned conductors and shunting the sliding joint, said male member comprising a mounting portion having a shank extending therefrom and provided with an enlarged head portion at its end, said female member having a bore in which said head slides and against which it bears, the female member also having a mounting portion, at least one of the two mounting portions comprising a split clamp adapted to be adjustably moved in place and clamped in position.

4. A slide joint for electrical conductors, said joint comprising a pipe member of uniform -internal diameter and a stud member, said pipe member having a slot extending longitudinally therethrough, means at one end of the pipe member for drawing the opposite surfaces 0f the slot towards one another to clamp the pipe member to a conductor, the opposite end of the pipe member comprising means for receiving the stud, the stud having means `at one end slidably engaging the pipe member, and flexible conducting means electrically shunting the sliding connection.

5. A slide joint for maintaining comparatively rigid electric conductors in proper relative alignment while permitting relative movement of the conductors, said joint comprising a split clamp having a longitudinal bore therethrough of substantially the same internal diameter throughout its length whereby the clamp may be slid on the end of a conductor and extend beyond the end of the conductor a variable amount to compensate for variations in spacing between the conductors to be interconnected,l one end of said clamp being adapted to be clamped onto a conductor, a stud adapted to be secured to another conductor andv having an enlarged head at the end thereof slidable within the bore of the split clamp, the head making a snug t within the bore and being rounded to permit angular tilting of the stud and the split clamp with respect to one another while maintaining the sliding t, and flexible electric co-nductorsconnecting the stud and the clamp and shunting the sliding connection.

CYRIL H. THOMAS. 

